The Poverty Bay Herald AND East Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. Tuesday, September 23, 1879.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 901, 23 September 1879, Page 2

The Poverty Bay Herald AND East Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. Tuesday, September 23, 1879.

The first, session of the new Parliament opens to-morrow ; but the strength of parties will probably not be ascertained until well on m next week. My. Halt,, it is stated, is likely to lead the Opposition, and the support he will receive will be discovered when a vote of "no confidence " is moved to the Address m Reply to the C4overnor's speech. There is an absence of old blood m the present Parliament, and an infusion of new, but with the latter we do not discover there is any special legislative talent. The most singular feature m the representative body is, that with some half-dozen exceptions, the whole of the members are pledged to what' is known as the "liberal policj'," and what that really means remains to be seen. The fact of His Excellency refusing to receive the advice of pi'esent Ministers, excepting m matters of pure routine, would indicate that parties are very evenly

balanced; for it is an extreme and unusual course for a Governor to adopt. It is certainly not one which would be pursued by such a constitutional representative as Sir Vice-regal Hercules Kobinson unless he had most cogent reasons. Among the questions will receive the first which consideration, after parties have separated themselves on the Ministerial and Opposition benches, is how the Public Works are to be carried on and continued without the necessary money at command ; for it is by no means certain, m the present unsatisfactory state of Native affairs, and the threatening attitude assumed by some of the Maori tribes, that there will be reluctance on the part of home capitalists to invest m our debentures, and if the Imperial Parliament should insist upon the Colonies only borrowing pro ruta upon its revenues, the question will arise whether New Zear land should be permitted to raise further loans. The cable has not yet, so far as we know, advised the Government as to the certainty of raising the new four million loan. Should •there be any doubt as to this, the Banks will be chary of making advances as the capital of these institutions has been so greatly absorbed m relieving the pressure which has fallen on their private customers. Ah-eady the cry runs through portions of both islands from the unemployed. It is only by the progress of public works this cry can be relieved, and relief cannot come without the loan is raised. There is fortunately the favoring circumstance of the coming shearing and harvesting, which will give employment to thousands of laboring men ; but it unfortunately happens that there are large numbers of our town population quite unaccustomed to field work, for whom employment must m some way or other be found. For, argue as we may, and quote from the great political economists of past and present days, every man, woman, and child, m the land must be fed three times m each day ; must have some sort of shelter for their heads and covering for their bodies. If they cannot provide these necessaries for themselees, they will have from some source or other to be provided for. Therefore, before we talk of triennial pai'liaments, manhood suffrage, landed rights, and other points of our charter, we must first turn our attention to giving employnint to those who have been seeking for it, seeking m vain. New Zealand just now is m that state which will not admit of 'our representatives " Playing at Parliament." There aie too many serious and important issues at stake to allow of a pro-* longed contest for the " ins and the outs." The real business of the country must no longer be delayed until interminable party feuds are disposed of. It is a matter of little indifference to the country whether the Grey Ministry is m power or the Hall, or any other Ministry. What is greatly needed is that confidence shall be restored ; that our public works shall progress; that peopleshall not be overburdened with taxation at a time they are little enabled to bear any greater strain than has already been put upon them. We want our representatives to sink all their differences for the sake of the public weal. There may be hard times upon us, and there must be no differences calculated to intensify them.